We have obtained long-slit spectroscopy with the Kitt Peak 2.1-meter
telescope of the interacting galaxies NGC 3991, NGC 3994 and NGC 3995
to study how star formation propagates in tidally disturbed systems.
UBVR imaging of these galaxies has shown they contain bright, blue
star-forming knots, with a range of ages and reddening. Our apertures
were chosen to examine a number of these knots in various
galaxy environments. Preliminary analysis of the spectra reveals
evidence for population differences through a variety of emission and
absorption features of varying strengths. The strength of the nebular
emission lines confirms that many regions are undergoing high rates of star
formation.

These data will used to determine the age of each knot as a function
of location in the galaxy, to address a series of questions. Does
the star formation occur first in the nucleus or outer regions of the
galaxies? Are there differences in the stellar populations of the
star forming regions related to the local gas density, disk dynamics,
or other environmental factors? Does star formation triggered by
galaxy interactions produce an initial mass function biased toward
massive stars? These results are part of an ongoing study of star
formation in interacting galaxies that will include HST imaging
and spectroscopy with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph.

This research has been supported in part by NASA, under contract NAS5-31231.

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